Relief, a bonus to negotiate and a party that lasted all night... AS Monaco had a crazy night with their Champions League qualification.

Liberation often leads to ecstasy. On Saturday, the AS Monaco players and staff experienced one of those emotionally charged evenings. The kind you only get to experience a handful of times in your career. "It was fantastic at the end when we knew we'd qualified, even though we were ready to play until the last match," said Breel Embolo. "It felt good!" While they were aware that it was in their best interest to win to avoid losing everything, Adi Hütter and his men didn't expect the evening to turn out so well, and the liberation at the final whistle lived up to the hype. "We told ourselves we had to keep a clean sheet, be calm, focused, and vigilant as a team. But frankly, we didn't expect this," admits Thilo Kehrer. "We wanted to focus on our match and look at the results afterwards; we thought we'd still have the Lens match to win. It's a huge relief to already have the security of qualifying directly."

The radiant staff members

Not many, in truth, had imagined this perfect alignment of the planets and these cascading defeats for the pursuers now condemned to fight it out in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League or the Europa League. At around 11 p.m., the hugs were followed by angry fist-pumping towards the grandstand by the players and staff members. With smiles on their faces, many went to get their children to give them a taste of this exhilarating moment. The work paid off after long periods of uncertainty. "We worked all season to compete as high as possible. We fought, we had our ups and downs, but I think qualification is deserved," Embolo said. "We're very happy for ourselves, for the club, for the centenary. It's been a very long season, we can breathe."

"I'm glad we were able to get the club back to where it belongs."

In the locker room, water bottles flew and the shouts resonated a little louder. "It's a party," smiled a discreet Thilo Kehrer about the details of the festivities. "We're keeping secrets!" Still accompanied by his friend Biereth, Breel Embolo showed up laughing in the mixed zone with... his toothbrush in his mouth. "I'm sleeping at Mika's, that's why," joked the Swiss just before Kehrer planted a kiss on his neck. Signs of vanished tension that contrasted with the closed faces of the Lyon delegation. "This is a team that has everything to play in the Champions League," Embolo continued about his squad. "I came here for that too, for this project. I'm happy that we were able to bring the club back to where it belongs. It deserves it."

"Who will negotiate the double bonus? The captains!"

On Saturday evening, the Monegasques were mainly thinking about the hours that would follow, and that's only natural. Their loved ones were waiting for them in the lounges before stretching out the night until the early hours at a venue in the Principality. A large contingent from the club also joined the party to celebrate this return to Europe. A guest on a show on RMC on Sunday afternoon, Thilo Kehrer responded with a voice that testified to the length of the evening. But the championship isn't over, and the Red and Whites must ensure one last stroll in the Pas-de-Calais region on Saturday. "We want to finish in style! If we think it's already the holidays, we're stupid," judges Krépin Diatta. Then, there might be something to scratch. "Who's going to negotiate the double bonus? The captains," laughs Embolo. "We've already started, but it's always better over a glass of wine with the management!" The meal planned for Sunday will undoubtedly be the perfect opportunity for this.